- Mar 4, 2012
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Manasseh came to power at age 12. His father was the famous, righteous king Hezikiah. Ironically, his son was the even more famous, and more righteous Josiah, who was responsible for the greatest revival and most consistent faithful leadership of all the kings.
But Manasseh was more infamous than even the kings of Israel. He single handedly brought on the utter destruction of Jerusalem. Here is how his account begins:
2Ki 21:2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
As if this wasnt enough he surpassed the heathen, of whom God declared that their sins were full.
Manasseh seduced (Jerusalem) to do MORE evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.
Not content with building groves and high places or even the temples that Solomon built for his pagan wives;
And he built altars in the house of the LORD, also; 2Ch 33:7 And the carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever,
Jewish tradition tells us that Manasseh was the one who had the great prophet Isaiah to be placed inside a hollow log and sawn in two; which is referenced in Hebrews 11:37. His father had been greatly benefited by respecting this incredible prophet.
Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.
But if that was an unthinkable sin, how does it compare to the next thing he did, in being used of Satan to wipe out the lineage of the Messiah;
2Ch 33:6 And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom,
This man was truly the essence of evil, no matter what generation or people you come from, and it just goes on;
and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
2Ki 21:10-14 And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;
Gods hand was forced, and it was beyond what the few scriptures can fully convey. We in America may never know what it is like to have Gods wrath poured out so unrestrained:
2Ch 33:11 Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
You would think that God would simply have had the heathen to slay Manasseh, but I guess He wanted Manasseh to suffer long for the things he had done. Some translations say that the enemy put a ring through his nose like an ox, and led him by a cord:
But something awesome and unexpected happened when this most evil of all kings, and the cause of Judahs destruction was in captivity:
2Ch 33:12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 And prayed unto him...
But the response of God was even more inconceivable!!!
...and God was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.
Only one other king in captivity was ever showed favor, but wasnt restored to his home and throne!!! Out of all the kings that ever sat on the throne of all Israel, Manasseh stands out, both for the evil he did, and for the incredible, matchless grace he received from God. Why did God single him out - the very worst - to show this immeasurable mercy and lovingkindness to? Saul isnt even in the same moral boat as Manasseh, and he was cast down, demon oppressed, and then slaughtered shamefully. Many other kings who cannot match Manassehs horrible reputation suffered greater; but Manasseh was shown grace and restoration instead. It was not received in vain;
2Ch 33:15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.
2Ch 33:16 And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.
In the reign of his father, it is said that in the last few years, while Manasseh was being raised up, Hezekiah was a negative influence on his son, slipping away from his former whole hearted devotion.
But when we look at the way Manasseh himself actually attempted a revival, undoing the evil hed done, and restoring Jerusalem to the city of God, it is no marvel that when his son Josiah was growing up, he was most likely influenced to begin the greatest revival and devotion of all history!
So although his sins cannot be redeemed, he was able to accomplish something so good that it had no equal. Of course, Josiah had been prophesied by name, ages before to the king of Israel, but no one could have imagined that this holy Josiah would come from the loins of a king so evil that he made the kings of Israel look righteous.
Israel was so wiped out by the Assyrians, that they are hardly traceable since then. The Samaritans, i.e., Samaritan woman at the well, and Good Samaritan who helped the robbed man, are the offspring of those Jews, having been mingled with Gentile blood, and so regarded as untouchable and despicable by the pure-blood Jews.
And yet it may be questioned whether what they did was so egregious as Jerusalem who had the temple in their midst, but defiled it with altars and idols of devils! They directly profaned the house and name of God, even burying the book of the law within the temple. It took weeks of cleaning to find it under Josiahs reign.
So, the question is, why was God so restrained and merciful and so gracious to Jerusalem and her most notorious king? How great is this grace of God?
But Manasseh was more infamous than even the kings of Israel. He single handedly brought on the utter destruction of Jerusalem. Here is how his account begins:
2Ki 21:2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
As if this wasnt enough he surpassed the heathen, of whom God declared that their sins were full.
Manasseh seduced (Jerusalem) to do MORE evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.
Not content with building groves and high places or even the temples that Solomon built for his pagan wives;
And he built altars in the house of the LORD, also; 2Ch 33:7 And the carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever,
Jewish tradition tells us that Manasseh was the one who had the great prophet Isaiah to be placed inside a hollow log and sawn in two; which is referenced in Hebrews 11:37. His father had been greatly benefited by respecting this incredible prophet.
Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.
But if that was an unthinkable sin, how does it compare to the next thing he did, in being used of Satan to wipe out the lineage of the Messiah;
2Ch 33:6 And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom,
This man was truly the essence of evil, no matter what generation or people you come from, and it just goes on;
and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
2Ki 21:10-14 And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;
Gods hand was forced, and it was beyond what the few scriptures can fully convey. We in America may never know what it is like to have Gods wrath poured out so unrestrained:
2Ch 33:11 Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
You would think that God would simply have had the heathen to slay Manasseh, but I guess He wanted Manasseh to suffer long for the things he had done. Some translations say that the enemy put a ring through his nose like an ox, and led him by a cord:
But something awesome and unexpected happened when this most evil of all kings, and the cause of Judahs destruction was in captivity:
2Ch 33:12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 And prayed unto him...
But the response of God was even more inconceivable!!!
...and God was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.
Only one other king in captivity was ever showed favor, but wasnt restored to his home and throne!!! Out of all the kings that ever sat on the throne of all Israel, Manasseh stands out, both for the evil he did, and for the incredible, matchless grace he received from God. Why did God single him out - the very worst - to show this immeasurable mercy and lovingkindness to? Saul isnt even in the same moral boat as Manasseh, and he was cast down, demon oppressed, and then slaughtered shamefully. Many other kings who cannot match Manassehs horrible reputation suffered greater; but Manasseh was shown grace and restoration instead. It was not received in vain;
2Ch 33:15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.
2Ch 33:16 And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.
In the reign of his father, it is said that in the last few years, while Manasseh was being raised up, Hezekiah was a negative influence on his son, slipping away from his former whole hearted devotion.
But when we look at the way Manasseh himself actually attempted a revival, undoing the evil hed done, and restoring Jerusalem to the city of God, it is no marvel that when his son Josiah was growing up, he was most likely influenced to begin the greatest revival and devotion of all history!
So although his sins cannot be redeemed, he was able to accomplish something so good that it had no equal. Of course, Josiah had been prophesied by name, ages before to the king of Israel, but no one could have imagined that this holy Josiah would come from the loins of a king so evil that he made the kings of Israel look righteous.
Israel was so wiped out by the Assyrians, that they are hardly traceable since then. The Samaritans, i.e., Samaritan woman at the well, and Good Samaritan who helped the robbed man, are the offspring of those Jews, having been mingled with Gentile blood, and so regarded as untouchable and despicable by the pure-blood Jews.
And yet it may be questioned whether what they did was so egregious as Jerusalem who had the temple in their midst, but defiled it with altars and idols of devils! They directly profaned the house and name of God, even burying the book of the law within the temple. It took weeks of cleaning to find it under Josiahs reign.
So, the question is, why was God so restrained and merciful and so gracious to Jerusalem and her most notorious king? How great is this grace of God?